1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to a graft and, more particularly, to an endovascular graft having a flanged end to provide engagement to the walls of a blood vessel
2. Background of Related Art
Atherosclerosis is a major disease that effects the blood vessels. This disease may have its beginnings early in life and is first noted as a thickening of the arterial walls. This thickening is an accumulation of fat, fibrin, cellular debris and calcium. The resultant narrowing of the internal lumen of the vessel is called stenosis. Vessel stenosis impedes and reduces blood flow which can cause hypertension and dysfunction of the organ or area of the body that suffered the impaired blood flow.
As the buildup on the inner wall of the vessel thickens, the vessel wall loses the ability to expand and contract. Also, the vessel loses its viability and becomes weakened and susceptible to bulging, also known as aneurysm. In the presence of hypertension or elevated blood pressure, aneurysms will frequently dissect and ultimately rupture.
An abdominal aordic aneurysm is a sac caused by an abnormal dilation of the wall of the aorta as it passes through the abdomen, the portion of the body which lies between the thorax and the pelvis. The aorta arises from the left ventricle of the heart, passes upward, bends over and passes down through the thorax and through the abdomen where it divides into two iliac arteries. The aneurysm arises in the aorta near the region where the iliac arteries branch off. It is common for the aneurysm to expand from the aorta into the iliac arteries. When left untreated the aneurysm can rupture which can often lead to fatal hemorrhaging.
Transabdominal surgery to repair the aneurysm is a major undertaking with associated high risks. Performing the surgical procedure requires exposure of the aorta through an abdominal incision, which can extend from the rib cage to the pubis and requires moving the intestines to get to the back wall of the abdomen in order to clamp off the aorta. The aorta must be closed both above and below the aneurysm, so that the aneurysm can then be opened and the thrombus, or blood clot, and arteriosclerotic debris removed. A synthetic tube or graft is often sutured or stapled into place, thereby replacing the aneurysm. A graft with bifurcated ends is necessitated when the aneurysm has expanded into the iliac arteries.
With vascular suturing or stapling techniques for attaching the tube or graft, thrombosis or clotting may occur at the points of penetration which may cause occlusion of the vessels. In addition, suturing is a very tedious and time consuming process for surgeons to perform.
It would be advantageous to provide a method of securing a graft, atraumatically within a blood vessel that does not require suturing or stapling, yet still provides a reliable seal between the graft and the interior walls of the blood vessel. It would also be desirable to secure a graft to a section of a damaged blood vessel without making an incision in the blood vessel.